May I ask why you are looking at a horse that needs heavy contact and then another that needs light contact? I'm just curious.

Honestly I think both could work out well enough but the second seems to have more potential to me, I like the way she goes over the jumps, she seems to like them well enough. Choose whichever you like best and feel suits your personality and style.

I guess I just put that in there because I noticed it when I rode them. I wouldn't say I'm looking for either one. The mare is so fresh from the track that you can almost take no contact with her mouth because it means go, where the gelding never raced, so doesn't have that training. I would hopefully be able to get them both to a point where they are light in the mouth, but could take some contact... kind of a middle ground.

As far as what suits my personality....heck if I know! Sometimes I'm mellow, sometimes I'm firey. I was hoping you guys could point out a fatal/deal breaker flaw and make the decision easier.

I really liked both. My trainer is going to ride the gelding on Friday to see if he has any spirit at all under there and to put him over a few cavaletti's to see how his brain works. That should get me a better idea. I liked how he did through the water. As far as the mare, you guys are right, she really seems to enjoy jumping and is unfazed by new things, even with her greenness. We are going to try to ride her again next week.

Does anyone else see the sickle hocks Drafty pointed out? I'm just not that good at critiquing..

I honestly think that the gelding is conformationally much better. I haven't watched the videos but Anebel knows a LOT about dressage so trust in her opinions on movement!

The gelding's hocks are not sickled, he is standing under himself in the photo. I'm basing this on the assumption that he didn't move between body shot and leg shot, and also the fact that in the body shot his legs are really far under him. It might be postural, or it might be conformational.

The mare has a REALLY upright shoulder which will limit her scope and reach some (I didn't look very hard at her proportions in the rest of the foreleg, it could well be made up for by other measurements), but if the gelding is tanking along on the forehand he will be more work to train into an uphill and correct way of going, so his movement may limit him significantly.

IMO if you really clicked with one or the other you would know which one was your choice. I don't buy a horse if I don't click with it. My gelding I looked at and thought, yep, he's my horse. And the same with my filly. But other people buy horses that they get along with but don't really have a real close bond with, and still others don't really care whether they get along with the horse or not. What's important to you? The performance of your eventing prospect, or the bond you have with your horse?

Bond definitely. But I think that comes with time and new experiences with the horse. I felt very bonded with Mick after having him just a few months, but it's nothing like how I feel now.Posted via Mobile Device

OK. So if the bond is important, why not wait for a horse you have at least some click factor with straight away? It might take some time, I have a friend who was horse hunting for 18 months or more and is STILL struggling with confidence with the horse she bought, 3 years after buying him... but it might take no time at all. My gelding was offered to me within a week of starting looking, and my filly was the third youngster I went to see. I fell in love with a gorgeous part Welsh colt, but the guy upped the price to well outside my price range. I fell harder in love with my girl and put down a deposit on the spot.

Out of the two you posted, I do prefer the gelding, though like I said I haven't watched the videos. Conformationally he doesn't have a reason to work downhill, which says to me it's incorrect training and riding and not the horse's natural build and movement. HOWEVER, it's easier to work with a horse that already moves how you want it to, and conformation isn't everything. If the mare has the heart to jump, and moves well, then she's your pick. JMO of course.

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the The Horse Forum forums, you must first register.

Already have a Horse Forum account?
Members are allowed only one account per person at the Horse Forum, so if you've made an account here in the past you'll need to continue using that account. Please do not create a new account or you may lose access to the Horse Forum. If you need help recovering your existing account, please Contact Us. We'll be glad to help!

New to the Horse Forum?Please choose a username you will be satisfied with using for the duration of your membership at the Horse Forum. We do not change members' usernames upon request because that would make it difficult for everyone to keep track of who is who on the forum. For that reason, please do not incorporate your horse's name into your username so that you are not stuck with a username related to a horse you may no longer have some day, or use any other username you may no longer identify with or care for in the future.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me?

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Old Thread Warning

This thread is more than 90 days old. When a thread is this old, it is often better to start a new thread rather than post to it. However, If you feel you have something of value to add to this particular thread, you can do so by checking the box below before submitting your post.I am aware that this is an old thread and I want to revive it rather than starting a new thread.